Hey kiddo,

I’m a few of years removed from you now, and I know things aren’t the greatest right now, so let me tell you a few things about where you end up.

Firstly, you do get into uni! Overseas, too, which is nice because you get a bit of space to explore yourself. You figure some things out. That itch at the back of your mind saying you’re not a girl? Guess what, it was right! Don’t worry, though, that doesn’t mean you have to be a boy either, I promise. You can be just you, and that’s gonna feel pretty great. You get all glittered up sometimes, and you have fun with your wonderful colourful friends, and that feels even greater.

Also that darkness inside your head that sometimes follows you around and makes everything feel shitty? Yeah, that’s a thing too, you didn’t make it up. You talk to someone about it, and you’re managing it alright.

You’re fine; you survived, you made it. You’re mostly okay, most of the time. You find people you care about, who care about you. You hug so many people and take so many pictures. Of yourself, even! How about that, huh?

Nothing is perfect, not even close, but you do just fine.

All my love,

Al (hey look at that, we figured the name thing out too!)